This invention relates to equipment for assisting travelers in transporting hand luggage such as lap top computers, briefcases and overnight bags, which equipment is also provided with the capability of serving as a sturdy desk providing a work surface and accommodating, if desired, a lap top computer, portable typewriter or the like.
Lap top computers and similar devices have been developed, inter alia, to enable business travelers to perform other work tasks while traveling. Despite their convenience, they are not truly comfortable to use on one""s lap. In an airplane, this discomfort may be alleviated by the use of the folding tray tables with which aircraft seats are equipped. But in airport waiting rooms and hotel lobbies, where travelers necessarily spend a lot of time, there are no good work surfaces where lap top computers may be placed and used.
In accordance with the present invention, an improved combination unit is provided which is adapted for transporting hand luggage and for serving as a work desk sturdy enough to support a lap top computer. The unit includes a vertical generally rectangular open-work frame preferably provided with a telescoping handle or handle portion at the top thereof and wheels to provide mobility at the bottom thereof. On one side of the vertical frame at the bottom a luggage support shelf is connected by hinge means to fold outwardly and downwardly away from the frame to provide support for luggage items placed thereon. The luggage support shelf is preferably provided with folding support legs at its outer end. The luggage support shelf may be folded inwardly against the vertical frame for compact storage.
In further accordance with the invention, a desk-top shelf is connected by hinge means to the side of the vertical frame opposite the side on which the luggage support rack is mounted. The desk-top shelf is preferably hinged to the frame at or near its top to swing outwardly and upwardly to a horizontal position substantially even with the top of the vertical frame. Folding and telescoping legs are provided at the outer edge of the desk-top which are designed to be swung downwardly from the horizontally positioned desk-top and telescoped downwardly to reach the floor and thus support the desk top.